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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: season · cold · arm · key · roll · lie · face · patient

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. face — part of the head
  6. roll — a cake
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — of the year
  10. roll — a list
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — the most important part
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. season — in sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. key — in music
  23. face — to confront
  24. cold — an illness

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