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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: toast · field · face · fall · cue · chest · bowl · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. chest — a box
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rest — what's left
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. field — a subject
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — farmland
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. toast — bread
  19. rest — a break
  20. field — for sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. cue — a signal

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