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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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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: chest · temple · cap · court · pitcher · last · rock · patient

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. last — final
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — a lid
  13. court — of law
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. last — to go on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. court — for sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chest — a box

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