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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. present — a gift
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. present — there
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bore — to tire
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chair — a leader
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. present — the time now

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