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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: cabinet · patient · bowl · prune · face · bat · kick · season

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. season — in sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. season — of the year
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. face — to confront
  24. kick — in football

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