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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rock — music
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pound — a weight
  17. face — to confront
  18. roll — a list
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. patient — a sick person

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