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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: degree · ground · rock · chest · charge · patient · rash · pit

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ground — a position
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pit — in a race
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ground — crushed
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — in control
  23. chest — a box
  24. rash — a series

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