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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. key — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — the most important part
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. firm — steady
  13. key — for a lock
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. face — part of the head
  19. firm — decided
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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