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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 120 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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — a match
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lie — to recline
  14. game — wild animals
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bass — the fish
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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