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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. track — a path
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. track — a song
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bear — the animal
  12. race — humankind
  13. face — to point toward
  14. foot — a measure
  15. field — for sport
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. track — to keep track
  19. field — a subject
  20. race — the arms race
  21. scale — size or range
  22. field — farmland
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — in 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