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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ground — a position
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — a committee
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. board — to get on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rule — government
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rule — a law
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. patient — a sick person

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