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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: cell · bass · mate · bat · safe · rule · patient · face

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rule — government
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rule — a law
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bass — low music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rule — to rule out

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