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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
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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: rest · hand · date · cap · patient · bowl · field · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rest — what's left
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to confront
  7. hand — in cards
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cap — of ice
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hand — help
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. field — a subject
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — a break
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. date — the fruit

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