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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mark — a trace
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mark — a grade
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. face — to confront
  11. kid — child
  12. hand — help
  13. kid — to tease
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter

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