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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
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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: lie · patient · kid · tube · sharp · face · net · court

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lie — to recline
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. net — in sport
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. net — after costs
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. tube — the underground
  18. net — for catching
  19. court — of law
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. face — to point toward
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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