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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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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chair — a leader
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. toast — bread
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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