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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. field — a subject
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. face — to confront
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. bass — low music
  9. face — to point toward
  10. snap — to click
  11. bass — the fish
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. deal — to handle
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. content — happy
  21. rest — what's left
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rest — a break
  24. content — the amount

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