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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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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 · chip · bear · face · nail · court · fan · rest

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chest — a box
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rest — a break
  11. face — to confront
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chip — to eat
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. court — of a king
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. court — for sport

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