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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · deal · chest · kick · face · land · court · roll

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mark — a grade
  3. court — of law
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. face — to point toward
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. chest — a box
  11. court — for sport
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. roll — a cake
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. land — ground
  20. face — to confront
  21. court — of a king
  22. chest — of your body
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mark — a trace

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com