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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · face · hand · wound · pitcher · racket · cabinet · rest

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — help
  11. face — to confront
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — in cards

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