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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. board — a committee
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spring — the season
  14. board — to get on
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. spring — a coil
  17. present — there
  18. cue — for pool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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