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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 120 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: land · face · deal · chest · rush · staff · cell · nail

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chest — a box
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. land — a country
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cell — in biology
  20. deal — to handle
  21. land — ground
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. face — to confront
  24. land — to come down

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