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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.

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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. present — the time now
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — a gift
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. present — there
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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