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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pass — a permit
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — to confront
  15. craft — a skill
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. craft — boats
  20. field — farmland
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. field — a subject
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. field — for sport

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