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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mate — to breed
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. dip — to sink
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mate — a friend
  13. deal — to handle
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — the month
  19. face — to confront
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mate — a partner
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitcher — a jug

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