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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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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: face · stick · arm · rest · cell · deal · last · hand

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rest — what's left
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rest — a break
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. face — to confront
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — help
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. face — part of the head

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