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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rock — a stone
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rest — a break
  16. rock — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chest — a box
  23. pitch — completely
  24. degree — from a university

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