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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: chest · pop · track · patient · mark · arm · cabinet · file

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pop — soda
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. pop — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — a trace
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. track — a path

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