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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. field — for sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. face — to confront
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rock — a stone
  9. field — a subject
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. field — farmland
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rock — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. foot — a measure
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — part of the head
  24. calf — of the leg

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