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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. field — a subject
  4. face — part of the head
  5. season — in sport
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. field — farmland
  13. face — to point toward
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. face — to confront
  17. season — of the year
  18. toast — bread
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cold — not warm
  22. vault — a safe
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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