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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mug — a face
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rule — government
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. land — a country
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — ground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pit — in a race
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fall — the season
  22. land — to come down
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pit — a hole

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