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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rule — government
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rule — a law
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chest — a box
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — of your body
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. bay — a horse colour

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