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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hand — help
  10. chest — a box
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — completely
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pass — a permit
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — for paper
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. key — in music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. clip — a video
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pass — to spend time

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