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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: chest · rest · prune · temple · season · face · pitcher · net

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. season — of the year
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — in sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rest — what's left
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — after costs
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rest — a break
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — to add flavour

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