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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · chest · face · rash · hide · swing · shower · leaves

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to confront
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rash — hasty
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rash — a series
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chest — a box
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. swing — music
  21. date — the fruit
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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