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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.

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: face · foot · deal · rash · season · pitcher · vault · bat

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rash — hasty
  3. season — of the year
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bat — the animal
  12. foot — a measure
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — in sport
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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