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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — to visit
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stock — shares
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pop — soda
  8. face — to confront
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spring — of water
  15. stock — goods
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. spring — the season
  19. pop — music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — in music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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