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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. object — to protest
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. face — part of the head
  10. object — a thing
  11. face — to confront
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cell — in biology
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. object — an aim
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mark — a trace
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. face — to point toward

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