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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. face — part of the head
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fork — in a road
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. foot — a measure
  18. date — the fruit

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