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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. board — to get on
  3. chest — a box
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pop — music
  7. can — to be able to
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pop — soda
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a committee
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bat — the animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. patient — a sick person

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