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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mark — a grade
  3. field — farmland
  4. mark — a trace
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. field — for sport
  8. face — to confront
  9. firm — a company
  10. band — a ring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. firm — decided
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — a subject
  17. rash — a series
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bass — the fish
  20. firm — steady
  21. band — a music group
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bass — low music

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