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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — a face
  11. toast — bread
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chest — of your body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. chip — to eat
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. degree — from a university
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. degree — temperature

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