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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. can — a tin
  4. chest — a box
  5. pound — a weight
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. scale — size or range
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. can — to be able to
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. deal — to handle
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. scale — in music
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pound — for dogs

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