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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. face — to confront
  3. drill — army training
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — farmland
  7. face — part of the head
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitch — completely
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. field — a subject
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. drill — a practice
  23. face — to point toward
  24. dip — to sink

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