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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 120 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. chair — a leader
  5. can — a tin
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. row — a line
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rule — to rule out

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