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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · chest · drill · kid · face · leaves · rush · fine

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fine — all right
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. drill — a practice
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. face — to confront
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fine — high quality
  16. kid — child
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — army training
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. leaves — lets stay

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