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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rash — hasty
  3. firm — steady
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to click
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. firm — decided
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — a company
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — a series
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rash — on the skin

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