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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. chair — a leader
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. net — for catching
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — a committee
  9. rash — a series
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — after costs
  14. board — to get on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — in sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bank — for money

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