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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · chair · vault · cold · coach · patient · fine · sharp

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ground — the earth
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cold — not warm
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fine — high quality
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ground — crushed
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fine — all right
  23. ground — a position
  24. coach — a trainer

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