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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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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: rule · kid · face · deal · hand · cap · mark · rest

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. deal — to handle
  3. hand — help
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rest — a break
  8. rule — government
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. face — to confront
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kid — child
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rule — a law
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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