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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 · pitch · key · foot · club · chest · lean · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. club — for golf
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lean — to bend
  8. key — in music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. key — the most important part
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. club — a group
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitch — completely

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