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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. face — to confront
  6. file — a document
  7. season — of the year
  8. file — a tool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. game — a match
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. drill — army training
  18. hand — in cards
  19. game — wild animals
  20. season — in sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hand — help
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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