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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. face — to confront
  3. field — farmland
  4. foot — a measure
  5. field — for sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. field — a subject
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — a cup
  16. season — in sport
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mug — to rob
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. face — to point toward
  24. foot — part of the body

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