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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: rest · rash · face · toast · bass · pit · bore · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. rest — a break
  11. toast — bread
  12. bass — low music
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bore — to drill

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