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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. object — to protest
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. court — for sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. object — a thing
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rash — a series
  24. object — an aim

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