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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · pound · charge · bay · march · rash · chair · clip

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — hasty
  4. clip — a video
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. charge — a price
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. charge — in control
  13. march — music
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. clip — for paper
  20. charge — electricity
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. clip — to cut

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