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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.

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: chair · patient · trunk · bat · chest · charge · rash · rock

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. charge — a price
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rash — a series
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. chest — of your body

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