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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.

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: net · field · face · wound · pass · cue · march · arm

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wound — an injury
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cue — for pool
  6. net — for catching
  7. cue — a signal
  8. field — for sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. face — part of the head
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to confront
  17. net — after costs
  18. field — farmland
  19. face — to point toward
  20. march — the month
  21. cue — a hint
  22. march — music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — in sport

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