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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. mug — a cup
  5. kid — child
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mug — a face
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — of a plant

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