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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chest — of your body
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. drill — army training
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. net — after costs
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rash — a series
  18. drill — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chair — a leader
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chest — a box
  24. drill — a practice

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