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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chip — for betting
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chair — a leader
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. chest — a box
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. scale — in music
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. foot — a measure
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rush — to hurry

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