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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. field — farmland
  7. scale — size or range
  8. current — happening now
  9. cue — for pool
  10. field — a subject
  11. current — of water
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. field — for sport
  15. cue — a hint
  16. current — electric
  17. scale — in music
  18. coach — a trainer

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