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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fan · date · bass · spring · chest · cap · rest · face

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bass — low music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rest — a break
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. spring — a coil
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. spring — of water
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chest — a box
  20. spring — the season
  21. cap — a lid
  22. date — the fruit
  23. face — to confront
  24. cap — a hat

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