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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: game · racket · stick · lie · chest · lash · patient · degree

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chest — a box
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lie — to recline
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. degree — from a university
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chest — of your body

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