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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. board — to get on
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hand — help
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — in cards
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mug — to rob
  17. chip — for betting
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. board — a committee
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mug — a face
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rest — a break

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