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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cold — an illness
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. swing — music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cold — not warm
  8. firm — decided
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. swing — in golf
  11. land — ground
  12. rest — a break
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rest — what's left
  17. firm — steady
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. kick — in football
  20. land — a country
  21. firm — a company
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. vault — a safe
  24. land — to come down

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