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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. drill — a practice
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — a match
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. face — to confront
  11. bass — low music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. drill — the tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. drill — army training
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bass — the fish

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