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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — in sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. track — a song
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. toast — bread
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chair — a leader
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. track — a path
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. patient — a sick person

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