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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: chest · face · cap · rule · ball · mug · rash · band

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. cap — a hat
  9. band — a music group
  10. chest — a box
  11. face — to confront
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a ring
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ball — a dance
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ball — a great time
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rule — a law

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