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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rock — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — a subject
  11. face — to confront
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. field — farmland
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — for sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rest — what's left

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