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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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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. field — for sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — final
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. field — farmland
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — finally
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rest — a break
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. face — to confront
  18. rash — hasty
  19. field — a subject
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — to go on
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — on the skin

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