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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: cabinet · mark · field · face · track · sharp · ruler · racket

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. sharp — clever
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. field — for sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — a subject
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. track — a song
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mark — a grade
  18. field — farmland
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. sharp — exactly

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