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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a document
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rule — government
  6. field — a subject
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rule — a law
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. face — to confront
  19. file — a tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. field — farmland
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. patient — a sick person

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