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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bank — for money
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ball — a great time
  7. present — there
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bank — for money
  15. rush — hurry
  16. season — in sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wake — a trail
  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