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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rock — music
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — what's left
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. clip — a video
  14. game — wild animals
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bass — low music
  19. board — to get on
  20. bass — the fish
  21. board — a committee
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rest — a break
  24. bat — in an idiom

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