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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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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: chest · swing · root · roll · toast · patient · face · rest

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. swing — music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. root — of a word
  6. toast — bread
  7. roll — a list
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. root — of a plant
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. rest — a break
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — a cake
  19. root — the cause
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. face — to point toward
  24. patient — a sick person

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