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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to confront
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. court — for sport
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. court — of law
  18. mine — for digging
  19. court — of a king
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wound — an injury

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