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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. field — a subject
  4. foot — a measure
  5. toast — bread
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. field — farmland
  8. land — ground
  9. field — for sport
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pound — a weight
  13. land — a country
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. land — to come down
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. foot — the bottom

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