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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. vault — a safe
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. toast — bread
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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