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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — to crush
  3. chest — of your body
  4. court — for sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. court — of law
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chest — of your body
  11. race — a contest
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. squash — the sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. race — humankind
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. branch — a division
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. court — of a king
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. race — the arms race

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