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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: file · patient · race · face · mouse · hide · bore · pop

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pop — to visit
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. file — a tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — humankind
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a document
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. face — to confront
  24. mouse — the animal

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