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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bat — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chest — of your body
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chest — of your body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. chest — a box
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wake — a trail
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bat — for baseball

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