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

Word bank: squash · row · chair · patient · roll · bay · last · rule

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. last — final
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rule — government
  9. squash — the sport
  10. row — a line
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. squash — to crush
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. last — to go on
  18. rule — a law
  19. row — to paddle
  20. roll — a cake
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. roll — a list
  23. last — finally
  24. chair — to sit on

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