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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. press — to push
  3. face — to confront
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. field — a subject
  11. press — newspapers
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. face — part of the head
  14. board — a committee
  15. press — a publisher
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. board — to get on
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. field — farmland
  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