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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 116 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: rest · fork · mark · field · track · sharp · snap · face

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. field — for sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. mark — a grade
  11. snap — to click
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mark — a trace
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. face — to confront
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fork — in a road
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. face — to point toward

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