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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. firm — steady
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. firm — a company
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. firm — decided
  10. hand — in cards
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kick — in football
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. board — to get on
  17. hand — help
  18. game — a match
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mine — for digging
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wake — a trail
  24. board — a flat piece

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