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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: ground · hand · cell · row · stand · face · suit · season

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hand — in cards
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. season — of the year
  6. face — to point toward
  7. hand — help
  8. season — in sport
  9. cell — a phone
  10. suit — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stand — to bear
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cell — in biology
  18. suit — to fit
  19. face — to confront
  20. ground — a position
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. suit — clothes

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