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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. row — a line
  8. chair — a leader
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. scale — in music
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. plane — a tool
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. arm — part of the body

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