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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: saw · bat · cabinet · foot · toast · ruler · cap · face

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cap — a lid
  11. toast — bread
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. face — to confront
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. ruler — for measuring

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