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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: pop · face · chest · cabinet · arm · stand · cell · mine

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to confront
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pop — soda
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chest — a box
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. face — part of the head

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