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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. court — of law
  3. present — there
  4. field — a subject
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. face — to point toward
  9. field — farmland
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. field — for sport
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. court — for sport
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. scale — in music
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — of a king
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — before a funeral

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