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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lean — thin
  5. present — a gift
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. present — there
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. present — the time now
  21. lean — to bend
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — in a race
  24. dip — a sauce

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