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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fine — all right
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — a friend
  8. face — to confront
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bat — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. band — a ring
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mate — a partner

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