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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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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 · mate · pitcher · row · rest · staff · pound · cabinet

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. face — part of the head
  6. staff — a stick
  7. row — a line
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. face — to confront
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. staff — employees
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mate — a partner
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. face — to point toward
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitcher — a jug

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