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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — help
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wind — moving air
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. board — to get on
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mate — to breed
  19. hand — in cards
  20. key — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — for a lock
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wind — to turn a key

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