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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rock — a stone
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — a subject
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. net — in sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. date — the fruit
  20. net — for catching
  21. fork — in a road
  22. net — after costs
  23. face — to confront
  24. rock — music

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