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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for golf
  3. last — final
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. season — in sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. object — to protest
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. suit — clothes
  15. object — a thing
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. last — to go on
  18. season — of the year
  19. chest — of your body
  20. suit — to fit
  21. object — an aim
  22. last — finally
  23. suit — in cards
  24. chest — a box

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