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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — for catching
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. face — to confront
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — after costs
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. shower — rain

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