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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: shower · bowl · present · rule · coach · foot · face · cell

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. shower — to wash
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rule — government
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. shower — rain
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. rule — a law
  11. face — to confront
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. present — a gift
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cell — a phone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bowl — a dish

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