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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · face · scale · hand · rule · bat · patient · mouse

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hand — in cards
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. face — to confront
  16. hand — help
  17. rule — government
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. face — to point toward
  23. scale — in music
  24. mouse — the animal

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