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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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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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. ball — a round shape
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. face — part of the head
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bulb — for light
  12. object — to protest
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — a thing
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ball — a dance
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ball — a great time
  24. object — an aim

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