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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: degree · chip · hide · patient · pit · band · chest · lie

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. degree — an amount
  5. chest — a box
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a ring
  14. pit — a hole
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. lie — to recline
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a music group
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — from a university
  24. hide — to keep secret

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