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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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468
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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chair — a leader
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — in football
  10. mate — a friend
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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