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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — the time now
  3. game — wild animals
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. drill — army training
  13. face — part of the head
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — a gift
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — to confront
  23. game — a match
  24. present — there

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