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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: bat · rest · ball · stand · rash · face · wind · calf

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rest — a break
  9. rash — a series
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. face — to confront
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — to point toward
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a dance

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