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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: patient · chair · file · pitcher · mouse · face · track · object

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. face — to confront
  10. object — to protest
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — a path
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. object — a thing
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. track — a song
  21. file — a line of people
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. face — to point toward

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