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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ground — the earth
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ground — a position
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ground — crushed
  12. swing — in golf
  13. face — part of the head
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. swing — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. swing — to play on
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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