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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: suit · face · mug · rest · board · kid · deal · cell

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. face — to confront
  5. board — a committee
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cell — a phone
  8. suit — to fit
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. face — part of the head
  13. suit — clothes
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — child
  18. board — to get on
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mug — a cup
  24. kid — to tease

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