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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rock — music
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mug — a face
  11. foot — a measure
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mug — a cup
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. kid — child
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pass — a permit

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