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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fall — the season
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — final
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. last — finally
  12. face — part of the head
  13. last — to go on
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ground — a position
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a friend
  24. face — to confront

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