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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.

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 · chest · bank · season · bowl · pitcher · rock · march

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rock — music
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — music
  14. bank — for money
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bank — of a river
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — of the year
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rock — to move gently

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