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

Word bank: deal · patient · pitcher · face · wake · bay · foot · fall

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wake — a trail
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fall — to drop
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fall — the season
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. face — part of the head
  24. deal — an agreement

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