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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.

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: firm · track · press · last · content · field · face · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. face — to point toward
  5. field — for sport
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. track — a path
  8. field — a subject
  9. press — to push
  10. content — the amount
  11. field — farmland
  12. firm — decided
  13. track — to keep track
  14. firm — steady
  15. track — a song
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — finally
  19. tear — from crying
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — a publisher
  22. face — to confront
  23. firm — a company
  24. content — happy

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