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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · face · mug · stick · kick · track · bound · field

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — a city
  8. face — to confront
  9. bound — obliged
  10. face — to point toward
  11. track — a path
  12. bound — tied together
  13. track — a song
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — farmland
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mug — to rob
  18. field — a subject
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. field — for sport
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. kick — in football
  24. capital — money

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