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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chest — a box
  5. key — in music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chest — of your body
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. chest — of your body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. clip — a video
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. patient — a sick person

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