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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. squash — to crush
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. capital — a city
  8. board — to get on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. board — a committee
  13. row — a line
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. squash — the sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. capital — money
  23. row — to paddle
  24. racket — a loud noise

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