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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chair — a leader
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lean — thin
  12. face — to confront
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. lean — to bend
  22. face — to point toward
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lean — to rest against

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