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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. face — to confront
  5. hand — help
  6. field — for sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. face — part of the head
  9. field — a subject
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bound — tied together
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rock — a stone
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. field — farmland
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. hand — in cards

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