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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. face — part of the head
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. tube — a container
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chair — a leader
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. face — to confront
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. degree — from a university
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. degree — an amount
  24. chair — a professorship

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