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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: land · bowl · field · march · suit · face · mug · date

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. march — music
  6. face — to confront
  7. field — for sport
  8. mug — a cup
  9. field — farmland
  10. mug — a face
  11. face — to point toward
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. march — the month
  15. suit — clothes
  16. march — the month
  17. face — part of the head
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mug — to rob
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. land — a country
  24. field — a subject

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