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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. suit — clothes
  3. field — for sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wound — an injury
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. face — to point toward
  13. shower — to wash
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — rain
  16. mug — a face
  17. face — to confront
  18. pit — in a race
  19. field — a subject
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. face — part of the head

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