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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.

Words on the sheet
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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. face — to confront
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. key — for a lock
  5. face — part of the head
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. key — in music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. face — to point toward
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. degree — an amount
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. file — a document
  20. degree — from a university
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — the most important part
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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