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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. suit — clothes
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cold — not warm
  11. suit — in cards
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cold — an illness
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis

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