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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. staff — a stick
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. staff — employees
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. staff — employees
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. clip — for paper
  18. patient — a sick person

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