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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. can — a tin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. can — a tin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chip — for betting
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chair — a leader
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — to eat
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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