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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. board — to get on
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cold — not warm
  9. race — a contest
  10. rash — a series
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. race — humankind
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. foot — a measure
  16. board — a committee
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. game — a match
  22. rash — hasty
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. patient — a sick person

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