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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 120 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: fall · mate · face · pit · bound · field · wake · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. face — to confront
  3. mate — a friend
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. track — a song
  9. field — for sport
  10. fall — the season
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bound — certain
  13. field — a subject
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pit — a hole
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — farmland
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bound — obliged

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