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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: bass · patient · degree · lie · saw · arm · face · ball

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. face — to point toward
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — to recline
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. face — part of the head
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — temperature
  24. arm — a part of something

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