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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: face · cell · fan · rest · mark · saw · vault · bay

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. face — to point toward
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cell — a phone
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rest — a break
  10. mark — a grade
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. face — to confront
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. vault — a safe
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fan — to cool the air

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