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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. craft — boats
  16. rule — a law
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. craft — a skill
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rule — government
  24. snap — to click

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