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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. net — in sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. face — part of the head
  5. field — for sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — a subject
  9. present — there
  10. net — after costs
  11. face — to confront
  12. present — a gift
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. field — farmland
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. date — the fruit
  23. present — the time now
  24. bark — to shout

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