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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. kick — in football
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. field — farmland
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rush — hurry
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. face — to confront
  23. spring — of water
  24. patient — a sick person

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