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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. field — for sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fork — in a road
  5. face — to confront
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. mug — a face
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. field — farmland
  17. face — to point toward
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — a subject
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — a stick
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. face — part of the head

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