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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. object — a thing
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. object — an aim
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bass — low music
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. hand — help
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hand — in cards
  20. object — to protest
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chest — of your body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bound — certain

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