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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.

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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. spell — letters
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — to point toward
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — a short time
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. land — to come down
  10. face — part of the head
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — a subject
  13. land — a country
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spell — magic
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. land — ground
  23. bulb — for light
  24. face — to confront

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