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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — in sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. mate — a partner
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mate — a friend
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stem — to come from
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hand — help
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mate — to breed
  23. vault — a safe
  24. patient — a sick person

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