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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. firm — a company
  9. rash — a series
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. firm — steady
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pit — in a race
  19. firm — decided
  20. game — a match
  21. pit — a hole
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. game — wild animals

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