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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 120 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: face · wave · kick · bat · rest · pit · capital · patient

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. face — to point toward
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. capital — money
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — a hole
  12. face — part of the head
  13. capital — a city
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. face — to confront
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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