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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: racket · cabinet · cold · face · tube · last · lean · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. face — to confront
  3. last — to go on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. last — finally
  6. lean — thin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cold — not warm
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. last — final
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lean — to bend
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rest — a break
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lean — to rest against

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