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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bound — certain
  3. scale — size or range
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitch — completely
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bound — tied together
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. sharp — clever
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — a country
  18. bound — obliged
  19. scale — in music
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wax — to grow
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. land — ground

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