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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wake — a trail
  4. face — to point toward
  5. firm — steady
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cap — a lid
  11. shower — rain
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. face — to confront
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pass — a permit
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. firm — decided
  21. field — a subject
  22. face — part of the head
  23. shower — to wash
  24. safe — out of danger

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