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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. face — part of the head
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. drill — army training
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — a practice
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — to tease
  12. suit — in cards
  13. ground — crushed
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — the animal
  16. face — to confront
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. kid — child
  19. ground — a position
  20. face — to point toward
  21. suit — clothes
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. drill — the tool

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