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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 116 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: land · bat · mouse · swing · cap · patient · suit · face

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. suit — in cards
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. land — ground
  8. cap — a lid
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cap — of ice
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. face — to point toward
  13. suit — to fit
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. land — to come down
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. face — to confront

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