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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — to point toward
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mate — a friend
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. game — a match
  15. ground — the earth
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mate — to breed
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ground — a position
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — a partner

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