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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. face — to point toward
  4. swing — music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — in golf
  12. current — electric
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tear — from crying
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tear — to rip
  17. row — a line
  18. stand — to bear
  19. face — to confront
  20. swing — to play on
  21. current — happening now
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. current — of water
  24. stand — on your feet

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