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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — finally
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chip — for betting
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. last — final
  10. chip — to eat
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wind — moving air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. vault — a safe
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — to go on

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