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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chest — a box
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chest — of your body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — ground
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — to come down
  17. net — in sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — for catching
  24. can — to be able to

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