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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 · hide · stick · toast · rock · face · chip · mug

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. field — a subject
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rock — music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. chip — to eat
  8. field — farmland
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. face — to confront
  14. toast — bread
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mug — to rob
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mug — a face
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. field — for sport

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