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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. face — to confront
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. staff — employees
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rash — a series
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lie — to recline
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kid — child
  17. rash — hasty
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — part of the head
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — a stick
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lie — an untruth

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