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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. last — final
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. march — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. charge — in control
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — a price
  9. chest — of your body
  10. deal — to handle
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — finally
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. charge — electricity
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — to go on
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. march — the month

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