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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: chest · face · field · deal · pitcher · arm · current · lash

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. current — happening now
  3. chest — of your body
  4. deal — to handle
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. current — of water
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — for sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. current — electric
  17. chest — a box
  18. face — to confront
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chest — of your body
  24. field — farmland

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