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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. object — a thing
  9. chest — a box
  10. fall — to drop
  11. object — an aim
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. object — to protest
  22. face — to confront
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. face — part of the head

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