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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 ________________ to happen.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. perch — the fish
  5. net — for catching
  6. row — a line
  7. face — to confront
  8. scale — size or range
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. net — in sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bound — tied together
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — after costs
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. scale — in music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. face — part of the head

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