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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. board — a committee
  5. kid — child
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pitch — completely
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. net — after costs
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. board — to get on
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — for catching
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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