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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · fine · roll · patient · chair · file · toast · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wake — a trail
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chair — a leader
  11. toast — bread
  12. fine — all right
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. fine — high quality
  23. roll — a list
  24. file — a tool

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