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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: bat · face · toast · last · fan · chest · lie · patient

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. toast — bread
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. face — part of the head
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. face — to confront
  21. chest — a box
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — final

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