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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: chest · ball · lash · suit · scale · pitcher · patient · net

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — clothes
  12. net — in sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. scale — size or range
  15. suit — to fit
  16. net — after costs
  17. scale — in music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. net — for catching
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chest — a box
  24. scale — for weighing

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