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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bound — tied together
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — a series
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — of a river
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. bank — for money
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bound — certain
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — obliged
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chair — a leader

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