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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — a stick
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lie — to recline
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hand — help
  12. chest — of your body
  13. staff — employees
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chest — a box
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rush — hurry
  21. tear — to rip
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. lie — an untruth

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