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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. fall — the season
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. firm — steady
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. snap — to click
  12. face — to confront
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. firm — a company
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. firm — decided

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