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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. club — a group
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — part of the head
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. shower — rain
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — wild animals
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. game — a match
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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