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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: face · roll · suit · field · snap · band · fan · race

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. suit — clothes
  3. race — the arms race
  4. face — to point toward
  5. band — a music group
  6. roll — a cake
  7. suit — in cards
  8. field — for sport
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. suit — to fit
  12. band — a ring
  13. face — to confront
  14. race — humankind
  15. snap — to click
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. race — a contest
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. field — farmland
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. roll — a list
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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