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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fall — the season
  3. face — to confront
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. field — for sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. suit — in cards
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spring — the season
  16. suit — to fit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. suit — clothes
  19. mark — a grade
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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