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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — low music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — to come down
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. chair — a leader
  16. shower — rain
  17. charge — in control
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. charge — a price
  22. land — ground
  23. shower — to wash
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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