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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to confront
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — goods
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cold — not warm
  13. face — to point toward
  14. craft — a skill
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. chair — a leader
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cold — an illness
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. chair — to sit on

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