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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. land — a country
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kick — in football
  5. current — happening now
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cap — of ice
  8. present — the time now
  9. land — to come down
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. present — a gift
  13. land — ground
  14. chest — a box
  15. current — electric
  16. cap — a lid
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cap — a hat
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. present — there
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. current — of water

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