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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tube — the underground
  3. object — an aim
  4. kick — in football
  5. fine — all right
  6. craft — a skill
  7. object — to protest
  8. field — a subject
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. craft — boats
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. tube — a container
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fine — high quality
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. object — a thing
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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