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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. scale — in music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pop — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pop — soda
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bore — to tire
  18. last — final
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chest — a box
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rock — music
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go 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