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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. row — a line
  3. rest — a break
  4. chest — a box
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. scale — in music
  14. mug — a face
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chest — of your body
  19. row — to paddle
  20. file — a tool
  21. stand — to bear
  22. file — a document
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. file — a line of people

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