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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. field — for sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. staff — employees
  6. swing — to play on
  7. net — in sport
  8. face — to point toward
  9. swing — music
  10. cue — a hint
  11. net — for catching
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. net — after costs
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. field — farmland
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — a subject
  24. chair — a professorship

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