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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 · drill · stand · face · dip · wind · game · season

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — in sport
  7. chest — a box
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. dip — to sink
  10. drill — the tool
  11. face — to point toward
  12. game — a match
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. drill — army training
  15. face — part of the head
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — to confront
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wind — moving air
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chest — of your body

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