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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bear — the animal
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — wild animals
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a match
  9. file — a document
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. file — a tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — a break
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. band — a ring
  20. face — to confront
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. band — a music group

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