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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. land — to come down
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — part of the head
  7. march — the month
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — what's left
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fine — all right
  12. row — a line
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — high quality
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — ground
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. row — to paddle
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rest — a break
  21. march — music
  22. face — to confront
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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