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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: temple · season · face · game · jam · cabinet · hand · tear

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — of the year
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — in sport
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — in cards
  11. game — wild animals
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. tear — to rip
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — a match
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. game — a kind of play

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