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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kick — in football
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rash — hasty
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rash — a series
  21. fall — to drop
  22. board — a committee
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fall — the season

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