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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. file — a tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. face — part of the head
  9. shower — rain
  10. land — to come down
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — a country
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — to wash
  16. hand — help
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. land — ground
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stock — goods
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. file — a document
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. hand — part of the body

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