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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 · face · bowl · date · land · present · spell · mark

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. present — there
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. land — ground
  8. mark — a trace
  9. present — the time now
  10. land — to come down
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. present — a gift
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mark — a grade
  17. face — to point toward
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — a country
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spell — letters
  23. rest — a break
  24. spell — magic

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