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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. key — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a committee
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cell — a phone
  8. face — to confront
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stock — shares
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stock — goods
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chair — a leader
  19. board — to get on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bore — to drill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bore — to tire

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