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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fork — in a road
  4. face — to point toward
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. face — part of the head
  7. charge — a price
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. charge — electricity
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. charge — in control
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. sharp — clever
  16. scale — in music
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. face — to confront
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rash — a series
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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