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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.

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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: hide · chest · object · stand · deal · cell · row · face

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. object — a thing
  3. face — to point toward
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cell — in biology
  10. object — to protest
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. object — an aim
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cell — a phone
  16. row — to paddle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. row — a line
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chest — of your body
  24. face — to confront

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