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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 124 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bore — to tire
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — boats
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. craft — a skill
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pound — a weight
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cold — an illness
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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