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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mug — a face
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mark — a trace
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. board — to get on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. season — of the year
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mark — a grade
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. season — in sport
  24. mug — a cup

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