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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. roll — a list
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — electric
  10. march — the month
  11. roll — a cake
  12. chest — of your body
  13. march — the month
  14. toast — bread
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. current — happening now
  20. march — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. current — of water
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. court — for sport

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