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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: face · bat · roll · patient · key · craft · stick · firm

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. firm — a company
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — the animal
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. face — to point toward
  11. firm — decided
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. face — part of the head
  16. craft — boats
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. craft — a skill
  21. roll — a list
  22. firm — steady
  23. face — to confront
  24. craft — a handicraft

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