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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bulb — for light
  6. key — in music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. last — final
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. last — finally
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cell — in biology
  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