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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. field — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cell — a phone
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. court — of law
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cell — in biology
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  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