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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cap — of ice
  9. degree — temperature
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. board — to get on
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cap — a lid
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chip — to eat
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — an amount
  24. board — a flat piece

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