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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. field — for sport
  4. mark — a trace
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ground — the earth
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. face — part of the head
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. face — to confront
  15. key — in music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ground — a position
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. face — to point toward
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. ground — crushed
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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