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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — ground
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. chair — a leader
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. face — to confront
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chair — a professorship

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