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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 120 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: squash · perch · game · march · mate · chest · snap · patient

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. march — music
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mate — to breed
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — wild animals
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. mate — a friend
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — a partner
  20. chest — a box
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. game — a match
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. 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