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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: capital · face · file · object · hand · mate · jam · patient

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. object — a thing
  4. face — to point toward
  5. file — a tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. capital — money
  12. file — a document
  13. capital — a city
  14. face — part of the head
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hand — help
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mate — a partner
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mate — to breed
  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