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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 120 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: arm · fall · bass · kick · chest · face · fan · court

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. chest — a box
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. court — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fall — the season
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kick — in football
  18. bass — low music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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