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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. face — to confront
  7. track — a song
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. mug — a face
  13. field — a subject
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ground — a position
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. face — to point toward
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mug — to rob
  23. ground — crushed
  24. field — farmland

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