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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. dip — to sink
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. key — for a lock
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. vault — a safe
  19. face — part of the head
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. rest — a break

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