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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: cap · chest · staff · face · bear · snap · land · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — to confront
  5. bear — the animal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cap — of ice
  9. land — a country
  10. cap — a lid
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to click
  15. land — to come down
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — for catching
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. staff — a stick
  24. net — after costs

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