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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. club — for golf
  4. bound — certain
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — a series
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rash — hasty
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. club — a group
  20. lean — to bend
  21. club — for dancing
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rash — on the skin

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