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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. field — for sport
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a list
  6. kid — to tease
  7. field — farmland
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. can — a tin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — to point toward
  12. can — a tin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — a subject
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rest — a break
  23. roll — a cake
  24. kid — child

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