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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cell — in biology
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. face — to confront
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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