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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 124 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. charge — electricity
  3. face — to confront
  4. hand — help
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — part of the head
  7. object — to protest
  8. vault — a safe
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. band — a ring
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. object — an aim
  19. hand — in cards
  20. charge — in control
  21. face — to point toward
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. charge — a price

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