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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. field — for sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. field — farmland
  9. tube — a container
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — after costs
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitch — completely
  18. face — to point toward
  19. field — a subject
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — in sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — hurry

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