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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: band · face · chest · chair · lean · foot · last · temple

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. face — part of the head
  3. last — to go on
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chest — of your body
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. lean — to bend
  13. last — final
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. face — to confront
  16. band — a music group
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lean — thin
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chest — a box
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. last — finally

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