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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — a song
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. present — there
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. present — the time now
  12. rule — government
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — a face
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. track — a path
  18. bass — the fish
  19. dip — to sink
  20. present — a gift
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chest — a box
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rule — a law

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