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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — to point toward
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. stand — to bear
  8. field — for sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bulb — for light
  11. track — a path
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. track — to keep track
  16. deal — to handle
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rush — hurry
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bulb — for light

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