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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — a coil
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. present — there
  13. pit — a hole
  14. present — the time now
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pit — in a race
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. present — a gift
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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