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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — a subject
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. current — of water
  9. lean — thin
  10. face — to confront
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. current — electric
  14. chip — to eat
  15. field — farmland
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. current — happening now
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chip — for betting
  22. lean — to bend
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. face — to point toward

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