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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · date · staff · mate · pitcher · kick · jam · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. face — part of the head
  3. field — for sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. date — the fruit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. field — a subject
  14. staff — a stick
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mate — a friend
  20. staff — employees
  21. kick — in football
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. face — to confront

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