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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. field — farmland
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. branch — a division
  11. fine — all right
  12. field — a subject
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. file — a document
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. file — a tool
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fine — a penalty

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