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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. 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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 — part of the head
  2. court — of law
  3. present — there
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mark — a grade
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lean — thin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. court — for sport
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. court — of a king
  17. present — the time now
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. tear — to rip
  21. present — a gift
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lean — to bend
  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