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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. season — in sport
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. field — a subject
  6. track — a song
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lean — thin
  10. bore — to tire
  11. field — farmland
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. season — of the year
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. track — a path
  22. face — to confront
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. lean — to bend

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