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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 ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. field — farmland
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — ground
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. face — part of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — to come down
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mate — to breed
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — a partner
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. field — for sport
  19. mate — a friend
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — a country
  24. field — a subject

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