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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bat — the animal
  4. race — humankind
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. face — part of the head
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. face — to confront
  15. wake — a trail
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. race — a contest
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. race — the arms race
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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