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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. face — part of the head
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fall — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a dance
  10. game — wild animals
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. suit — to fit
  14. ball — a great time
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — to confront
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. suit — in cards
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fall — to drop
  24. suit — clothes

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