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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ground — a position
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bear — the animal
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cold — an illness
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to confront
  19. ground — the earth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — rain
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ground — crushed

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