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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. race — a contest
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. foot — a measure
  7. race — the arms race
  8. field — for sport
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. field — farmland
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — clever
  17. face — to confront
  18. race — humankind
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. row — to paddle
  24. field — a subject

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