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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fine — high quality
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. squash — to crush
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. fine — all right
  12. drill — army training
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. face — to point toward
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. drill — the tool
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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