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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: patient · kid · chest · net · ruler · staff · arm · race

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. net — in sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. net — for catching
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — a box
  22. staff — a stick
  23. race — humankind
  24. net — after costs

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