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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — a container
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitch — completely
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. tube — the underground
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — a short time

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