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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: fall · face · arm · rash · court · cap · drill · rush

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rash — a series
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — hurry
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rash — hasty
  8. court — of law
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — the season
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — army training
  23. court — for sport
  24. drill — a practice

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