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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rule — government
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rule — a law
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — a match
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. season — of the year
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. craft — boats
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chair — a leader
  21. craft — a skill
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. game — wild animals

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