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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. degree — an amount
  3. capital — money
  4. degree — from a university
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — a list
  8. swing — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. suit — in cards
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. firm — decided
  14. swing — to play on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. degree — temperature
  17. firm — steady
  18. swing — in golf
  19. roll — a cake
  20. capital — a city
  21. suit — clothes
  22. firm — a company
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. suit — to fit

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