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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: game · present · field · charge · face · can · date · bank

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. face — to confront
  4. present — there
  5. face — to point toward
  6. can — a tin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. field — a subject
  9. bank — for money
  10. can — a tin
  11. charge — in control
  12. can — to be able to
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. field — for sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bank — of a river
  17. game — wild animals
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bank — for money
  20. present — the time now
  21. charge — a price
  22. field — farmland
  23. present — a gift
  24. game — a match

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