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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. saw — the tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. band — a music group
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. face — to confront
  17. board — to get on
  18. face — part of the head
  19. board — a committee
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. deal — to handle

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