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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. swing — music
  10. face — to point toward
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. swing — to play on
  14. field — a subject
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. face — part of the head
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — to confront
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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