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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. board — a committee
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. file — a tool
  9. mate — a partner
  10. stem — to come from
  11. face — part of the head
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. board — to get on
  21. file — a document
  22. mate — a friend
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. kick — in football

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