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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. key — for a lock
  3. kid — child
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — a measure
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. key — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. key — the most important part
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mug — a face
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mug — a cup
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mug — to rob
  24. ruler — for measuring

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