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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 124 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cold — an illness
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hand — help
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hand — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. deal — to handle
  18. degree — from a university
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — an amount
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. board — a committee
  23. cold — not warm
  24. board — to get on

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