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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. date — the fruit
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. present — a gift
  12. chair — a leader
  13. present — the time now
  14. hand — in cards
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. hand — help
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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