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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: pit · scale · shower · chip · wave · arm · patient · cell

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pit — in a race
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chip — for betting
  7. scale — in music
  8. shower — to wash
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chip — to eat
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cell — a phone
  18. shower — rain
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pit — a hole
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cell — in a prison

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