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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: foot · face · cabinet · field · rush · squash · mark · date

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. face — to confront
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — a subject
  7. date — the fruit
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mark — a grade
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. face — to point toward
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — a trace
  20. squash — the sport
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. face — part of the head
  24. field — farmland

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