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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · field · face · wound · pass · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — to confront
  5. net — in sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. face — to point toward
  8. field — farmland
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. cue — a hint
  12. net — for catching
  13. field — for sport
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. face — part of the head
  18. net — after costs

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