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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. vault — a safe
  3. face — to confront
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. last — to go on
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. press — to push
  12. face — to point toward
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. press — newspapers
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. press — a publisher
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. last — finally
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. last — final
  24. trunk — of a tree

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