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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fine — all right
  5. bat — the animal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pitch — completely
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. face — to confront
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. face — part of the head

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