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

Word bank: club · last · face · foot · mouse · field · lash · pound

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. club — a group
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. field — farmland
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. last — finally
  7. field — a subject
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. last — final
  11. pound — a weight
  12. club — for golf
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — to go on
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. foot — a measure
  23. face — to point toward
  24. field — for sport

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