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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. board — to get on
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. board — a committee
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rush — hurry
  17. hand — help
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. kid — child
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. hand — in cards

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