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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. field — farmland
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. field — a subject
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. land — to come down
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. face — to confront
  16. land — a country
  17. face — part of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. field — for sport
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. face — to point toward

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