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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · patient · cabinet · staff · object · mate · scale · face

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. object — a thing
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mate — to breed
  6. scale — size or range
  7. object — to protest
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. object — an aim
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. staff — employees
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — a match
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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