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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bark — to shout
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rest — a break
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rock — music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ground — a position
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rock — a stone
  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