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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: pass · mate · mine · cabinet · field · deal · face · bore

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pass — a permit
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. field — farmland
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mate — a partner

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