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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: racket · shower · chest · hand · patient · rest · pass · can

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rest — a break
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — help
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. chest — a box
  17. rest — what's left
  18. shower — rain
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. can — a tin
  23. pass — a permit
  24. racket — for tennis

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