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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. field — a subject
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. board — to get on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. field — for sport
  15. key — in music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. field — farmland
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cold — not warm
  23. board — a committee
  24. foot — a measure

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