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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: ground · fine · lash · chest · rule · stand · face · cell

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. face — to confront
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rule — a law
  12. ground — a position
  13. chest — a box
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fine — all right
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chest — of your 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