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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: foot · season · cue · bat · bear · chest · face · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bear — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bat — the animal
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. toast — bread
  15. chest — of your body
  16. face — to confront
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — a hint
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chest — a box

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