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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — to get on
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pit — in a race
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. march — music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. band — a ring
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. march — the month
  23. band — a music group
  24. board — a committee

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