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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. game — a match
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — wild animals
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. present — there
  9. content — happy
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. board — a committee
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. present — the time now
  24. content — the amount

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