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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · toast · stock · chest · ruler · pit

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stock — shares
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pit — in a race
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. toast — bread
  16. stock — goods
  17. chest — a box
  18. 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