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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wind — moving air
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mate — to breed
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. season — of the year
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. face — to confront
  15. rule — government
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — in sport
  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