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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rock — a stone
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. face — to confront
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. field — for sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rest — what's left
  13. face — to point toward
  14. field — a subject
  15. mine — for digging
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rest — a break
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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