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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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. kid — child
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — to tease
  5. march — the month
  6. charge — electricity
  7. march — music
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fall — the season
  10. shower — to wash
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. shower — rain
  14. charge — a price
  15. fall — to drop
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — to confront
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — in control
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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