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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. chest — of your body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. swing — music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chip — to eat
  10. spring — the season
  11. chest — of your body
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. swing — in golf
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — soda
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chest — a box
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pop — music
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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