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

Word bank: chair · firm · cold · stick · straw · leaves · patient · pitch

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. chair — a leader
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. firm — decided
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cold — an illness
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. firm — a company
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pitch — completely
  17. firm — steady
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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