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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: mark · date · present · ground · face · lie · foot · sharp

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mark — a trace
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mark — a grade
  5. foot — a measure
  6. ground — a position
  7. present — the time now
  8. face — part of the head
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. lie — to recline
  12. face — to confront
  13. sharp — clever
  14. face — to point toward
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ground — crushed
  19. date — the fruit
  20. present — there
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ground — the earth

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