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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: pop · ball · staff · march · face · chest · rest · hide

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — a stick
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rest — a break
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. face — to confront
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — what's left
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pop — to visit
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. march — music
  16. pop — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chest — of your body
  19. staff — employees
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — soda
  23. face — to point toward
  24. staff — employees

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