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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bass — low music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. dip — to sink
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chest — a box
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the fish
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a ring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pass — a permit
  24. band — a music group

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