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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: chest · fall · track · straw · ground · temple · kick · face

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. face — to confront
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. kick — in football
  6. face — to point toward
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ground — a position
  11. face — part of the head
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. track — a song
  14. ground — crushed
  15. chest — of your body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chest — a box
  18. fall — the season
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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