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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rule — government
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rule — a law
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitch — completely

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