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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — farmland
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — to crush
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a friend
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mate — to breed
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mate — a partner
  20. row — a line
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. row — to paddle

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