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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a match
  12. board — to get on
  13. game — wild animals
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — the month
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tear — to rip
  22. march — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — a kind of play

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