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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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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: field · chair · cabinet · bay · pound · pop · straw · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — soda
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pop — music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. field — a subject
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. field — farmland

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