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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. net — in sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. field — for sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. march — music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. net — for catching
  12. last — to go on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. march — the month
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. march — the month
  20. net — after costs
  21. stem — to come from
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. face — to confront
  24. last — finally

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