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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — a box
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tear — from crying
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. file — a tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. chest — of your body
  24. court — of a king

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