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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. face — part of the head
  4. field — for sport
  5. club — a group
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. face — to point toward
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. club — for golf
  12. scale — in music
  13. field — a subject
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. field — farmland
  17. club — for dancing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. stand — to bear
  22. chair — a leader
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stand — for spectators

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