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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: face · rush · cell · mate · lean · rest · bowl · cap

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lean — thin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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