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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. chair — a leader
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — the time now
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bear — the animal
  20. season — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rash — a series
  23. season — of the year
  24. bear — the animal

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