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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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a leader
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. board — to get on
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. board — a committee
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. game — a match
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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