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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: hand · ruler · face · fall · snap · capital · cabinet · temple

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — to confront
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to click
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hand — help
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. capital — a city
  21. fall — the season
  22. capital — money
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ruler — a monarch

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