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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. face — to confront
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. face — part of the head
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cap — a hat
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. court — of law
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cap — a lid

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