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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chest — of your body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. can — to be able to
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stock — shares
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chest — a box
  13. date — the fruit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — a tin
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stock — goods
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hide — animal skin

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