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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · content · date · capital · bowl · mark · calf · field

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. field — farmland
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. content — happy
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mark — a grade
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — for sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — a trace
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. capital — money

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