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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rule — a law
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — in a road
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pitch — completely
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spring — of water
  24. pitch — a sports field

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