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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: nail · saw · patient · march · coach · face · lie · race

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. race — a contest
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — part of the head
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — to recline
  10. race — humankind
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. face — to point toward
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. race — the arms race
  17. face — to confront
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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