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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chip — for betting
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chest — a box
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. craft — boats
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. craft — a skill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — a match
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fall — the season
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fall — to drop
  24. coach — a trainer

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