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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — to tire
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rush — hurry
  9. board — a committee
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rest — a break
  12. ball — a dance
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chest — a box
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bore — to drill
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ball — a great time

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