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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. season — in sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. season — of the year
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. vault — a safe
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — a leader
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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