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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a committee
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. board — to get on
  8. present — a gift
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — finally
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — there
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — the time now
  24. spring — the season

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