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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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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: stick · patient · toast · lash · club · face · hide · net

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — after costs
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. net — in sport
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. face — to point toward
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. face — to confront
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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