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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. face — to confront
  4. game — wild animals
  5. field — for sport
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. face — part of the head
  13. field — a subject
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wound — an injury
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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