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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. field — a subject
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. suit — to fit
  5. field — for sport
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. face — part of the head
  9. file — a tool
  10. last — finally
  11. suit — clothes
  12. face — to point toward
  13. file — a document
  14. rash — hasty
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — final
  17. rash — a series
  18. suit — in cards
  19. plane — a tool
  20. face — to confront
  21. file — a line of people
  22. last — to go on
  23. field — farmland
  24. plane — an aircraft

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