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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. present — a gift
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. present — the time now
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. field — a subject
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — there
  16. lean — thin
  17. mark — a grade
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. face — to confront
  20. mark — a trace
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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