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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. season — of the year
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mate — to breed
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mate — a partner
  19. land — to come down
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. land — a country
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. land — ground
  24. season — in sport

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