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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. charge — in control
  8. court — for sport
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. charge — a price
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pass — a permit
  15. court — of law
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  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