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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. face — to confront
  3. row — to paddle
  4. face — part of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. season — of the year
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. march — the month
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. march — music
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wax — to grow
  22. field — farmland
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bowl — to roll

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