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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
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: game · scale · fan · cell · face · bear · foot · stand

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. game — a match
  3. bear — the animal
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — to confront
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stand — to bear
  13. face — part of the head
  14. game — wild animals
  15. face — to point toward
  16. scale — in music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cell — in biology

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