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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. row — to paddle
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. squash — to crush
  6. net — after costs
  7. bat — the animal
  8. firm — decided
  9. board — a committee
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. firm — steady
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. net — for catching
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — in sport
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. board — to get on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — the sport
  24. row — a line

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