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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — farmland
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. face — part of the head
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rest — a break
  11. bound — certain
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — to confront
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. craft — boats
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mouse — the animal

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