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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chair — a leader
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lean — thin
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cap — a lid
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cap — of ice
  24. hide — to keep secret

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