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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. snap — to click
  3. chest — of your body
  4. present — a gift
  5. chest — of your body
  6. present — the time now
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fine — all right
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chair — a leader
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chest — a box
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. present — there
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. patient — a sick person

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