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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — letters
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rest — a break
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. spell — magic
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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