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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: fine · mate · fall · patient · mine · sharp · face · march

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. march — music
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fall — the season
  5. fine — all right
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mine — for digging
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fine — high quality
  12. face — to confront
  13. march — the month
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — to breed
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mate — a partner
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fall — to drop

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