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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chest — of your body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. chest — a box
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. craft — a skill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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