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

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. content — the amount
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. race — a contest
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — happy
  21. chair — a leader
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. straw — a straw man

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