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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. key — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. key — the most important part
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cell — in biology
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chair — a leader
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cell — a phone
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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