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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — for sport
  6. face — part of the head
  7. court — of a king
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rest — a break
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rest — what's left
  12. court — of law
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cell — in biology
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fine — high quality
  20. face — to confront
  21. hand — help
  22. field — a subject
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cell — in a prison

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