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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bound — tied together
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bound — obliged
  8. current — happening now
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bound — certain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. race — a contest
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. race — the arms race
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. race — humankind
  22. current — of water
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. current — electric

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