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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: chair · patient · club · bulb · foot · wind · bay · chest

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. chest — of your body
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chair — a leader
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. club — for golf
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bulb — for light
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. club — a group
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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