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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: face · chest · net · bore · vault · lash · deal · field

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. net — after costs
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — farmland
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bore — to drill
  22. net — in sport
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bore — to tire

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