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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. track — a path
  4. face — to confront
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — wild animals
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rest — a break
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. track — a song
  17. game — a match
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. face — part of the head
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stand — to bear

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