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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chest — of your body
  6. firm — steady
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. game — a match
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chest — a box
  14. suit — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — a company
  20. cap — of ice
  21. suit — clothes
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. firm — decided

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