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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ball — a great time
  3. field — farmland
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. field — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kick — in football
  10. staff — employees
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ground — the earth
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — to point toward
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. staff — a stick
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — crushed
  21. face — to confront
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. ground — a position
  24. ball — a round shape

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