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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chest — of your body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. chest — a box
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. current — of water
  11. capital — money
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. capital — a city
  20. bear — the animal
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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