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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. face — to confront
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. face — part of the head
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mark — a trace
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hand — help
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mark — a grade
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wind — moving air

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