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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. bat — the animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. file — a tool
  11. current — happening now
  12. file — a document
  13. face — to confront
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. current — electric
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. face — to point toward
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. file — a line of people

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