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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. row — to paddle
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. last — to go on
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — final
  16. face — to confront
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rash — a series
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. face — part of the head
  22. row — a line
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — finally

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