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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — music
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cue — for pool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. land — to come down
  7. craft — boats
  8. chest — of your body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — the month
  11. firm — decided
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cue — a signal
  15. land — a country
  16. march — the month
  17. land — ground
  18. cue — a hint
  19. firm — a company
  20. chest — a box
  21. firm — steady
  22. lean — thin
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. lean — to rest against

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