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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mate — a partner
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mate — a friend

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