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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fine — high quality
  8. track — a song
  9. rock — music
  10. hand — in cards
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. hand — help
  14. fine — all right
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. mark — a grade
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  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