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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chest — of your body
  4. row — to paddle
  5. staff — employees
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — music
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — soda
  16. rest — what's left
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — a break
  20. chest — a box
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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