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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. land — to come down
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rash — a series
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — ground
  8. firm — decided
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. firm — steady
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. branch — a division
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chair — a leader
  21. firm — a company
  22. land — a country
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rash — hasty

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