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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pit — in a race
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chest — a box
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. shower — rain
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pit — a hole
  20. object — an aim
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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