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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: game · foot · face · row · field · drill · bowl · rock

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rock — a stone
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. field — farmland
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — for sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. field — a subject
  12. face — to point toward
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. row — a line
  16. rock — music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. row — to paddle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. foot — a measure

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