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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: pound · patient · court · mouse · face · chair · chest · lash

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. 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. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chest — a box
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — to point toward
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. court — of law
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pound — a weight
  23. face — to confront
  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