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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rest — what's left
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. swing — in golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chest — a box
  12. swing — music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rest — what's left

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