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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — for a lock
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. court — for sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. court — of law
  10. lean — thin
  11. rule — a law
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rule — government
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. court — of a king
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. key — in music
  24. lean — to bend

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