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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. face — part of the head
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — for sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rock — a stone
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. field — a subject
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pop — music
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. field — farmland
  15. fall — the season
  16. pop — to visit
  17. face — to confront
  18. pop — soda
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — army training
  22. root — of a plant
  23. hide — animal skin
  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