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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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468
Word bank
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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to confront
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. present — a gift
  6. face — to point toward
  7. squash — the sport
  8. present — there
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. present — the time now
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mate — to breed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chair — a leader
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mate — a partner

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