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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rule — a law
  5. board — a committee
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fork — in a road
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rule — government
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. board — to get on
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pass — a permit
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pass — to succeed

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