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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. current — of water
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — a song
  5. game — a match
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. face — to confront
  9. current — electric
  10. track — to keep track
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. court — of a king
  14. track — a path
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. court — of law
  18. current — happening now
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. patient — a sick person

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