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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. face — to confront
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stand — to bear
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. field — a subject
  15. kid — child
  16. drill — army training
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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