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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. last — to go on
  4. court — of law
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chair — a leader
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — to shout
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. last — final
  23. court — of a king
  24. wound — an injury

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