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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. present — the time now
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. chair — a leader
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. present — a gift
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chip — for betting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — to eat
  14. row — a line
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. present — there
  24. march — music

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