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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: rash · foot · bark · face · cell · court · cabinet · track

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. court — for sport
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rash — a series
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. track — a path
  18. cell — in biology
  19. track — a song
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. face — to point toward
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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