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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. field — for sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. field — a subject
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. charge — electricity
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. snap — to click
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. face — to confront
  16. track — a song
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. charge — a price
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. charge — in control
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — farmland
  24. track — a path

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