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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: patient · pit · temple · straw · bass · snap · season · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bass — low music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. season — of the year
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. season — in sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pit — a hole
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bass — the fish
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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