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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · chest · calf · patient · net · pitcher · mine · face

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — in sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rest — a break
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — a box
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. face — to confront
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rest — what's left
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. calf — a young animal

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