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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. wind — moving air
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cue — a hint
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. field — a subject
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. field — farmland
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wind — moving air
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. degree — from a university

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