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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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Word bank
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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: present · net · face · march · lie · rest · chest · mug

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lie — to recline
  3. present — there
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. face — part of the head
  7. present — a gift
  8. net — for catching
  9. march — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. present — the time now
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — in sport
  16. mug — a face
  17. net — after costs
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. chest — a box
  21. face — to confront
  22. rest — a break
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chest — of your body

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