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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. face — to point toward
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. object — to protest
  7. mine — for digging
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a line of people
  10. saw — the tool
  11. object — a thing
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. object — an aim
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. arm — part of the body

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