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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a committee
  5. bore — to drill
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. track — a song
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. file — a document
  12. track — a path
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to tire
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — clever
  20. track — to keep track
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. file — a tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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