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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chip — for betting
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. scale — in music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — part of the head
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. face — to confront
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — size or range

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