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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. court — for sport
  6. fall — the season
  7. court — of law
  8. lean — thin
  9. rule — government
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rule — a law
  17. season — of the year
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. court — of a king
  24. season — in sport

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