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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: chest · mouse · ruler · fall · kick · pitcher · bay · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — a box
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. kick — in football
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — the season
  22. chest — of your body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mouse — the 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