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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bank — for money
  8. board — to get on
  9. net — for catching
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — a match
  13. net — after costs
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. press — a publisher
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bank — of a river
  19. press — to push
  20. date — the fruit
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bank — for money
  23. press — newspapers
  24. perch — for a bird

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