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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. net — after costs
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. face — to confront
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. firm — steady
  20. net — for catching
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. row — a line
  23. face — to point toward
  24. row — a quarrel

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