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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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Word bank
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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: field · game · track · pop · lie · staff · face · present

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pop — soda
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. present — a gift
  6. pop — music
  7. game — a match
  8. track — a path
  9. present — the time now
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — a song
  13. pop — to visit
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. field — farmland
  19. face — part of the head
  20. game — wild animals
  21. present — there
  22. field — for sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — a subject

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