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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. field — farmland
  5. stock — shares
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. stock — goods
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. field — a subject
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bass — the fish
  16. face — to point toward
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bass — low music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. last — finally
  22. stand — to bear
  23. field — for sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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