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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ground — crushed
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. net — for catching
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. net — in sport
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. row — to paddle
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. row — a line
  22. board — to get on
  23. net — after costs
  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