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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ground — the earth
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to point toward
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pound — a weight
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. ground — a position
  21. wind — moving air
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. charge — in control
  24. pound — for dogs

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