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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — after costs
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to confront
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. saw — the tool
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kid — to tease
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — to point toward
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. net — in sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kid — child

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