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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. swing — music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lean — to bend
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. swing — in golf
  16. net — in sport
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — to play on
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bat — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chair — to sit on

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