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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chest — a box
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. roll — a list
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. present — the time now
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chest — of your body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. arm — part of the body

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