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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 116 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. face — to point toward
  3. field — for sport
  4. face — to confront
  5. dip — to sink
  6. track — to keep track
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. object — an aim
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mate — a friend
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — to wash
  15. track — a song
  16. field — farmland
  17. object — to protest
  18. field — a subject
  19. mate — a partner
  20. face — part of the head
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mate — to breed
  23. object — a thing
  24. shower — rain

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