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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. present — there
  3. dip — to sink
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. present — the time now
  7. rash — hasty
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. present — a gift
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a list
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. roll — a cake
  24. chest — a box

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