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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fall — the season
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chair — a leader
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mug — to rob
  16. face — to confront
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fall — to drop

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