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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. net — in sport
  3. face — part of the head
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. net — for catching
  15. present — there
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — after costs
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mine — for digging

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