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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — part of the head
  4. vault — a safe
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chair — a leader
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cue — for pool
  13. field — a subject
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. cap — of ice
  19. field — farmland
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cue — a hint
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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