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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. field — a subject
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rock — music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. key — in music
  8. field — for sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a face
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. face — to point toward
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. band — a music group
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. band — a ring
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. field — farmland
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mug — to rob

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