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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mug — a face
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — a subject
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rest — a break
  11. field — farmland
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — certain
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mug — a cup
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wax — to grow

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