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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: fine · wake · stick · mug · field · cap · kick · face

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. field — for sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. field — farmland
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. face — to confront
  8. cap — of ice
  9. kick — in football
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fine — all right
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mug — to rob
  16. field — a subject
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — a lid
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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