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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rule — a law
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — magic
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rash — a series
  11. rule — government
  12. spell — letters
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. patient — a sick person
  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