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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. board — to get on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bass — low music
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. board — a committee
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. firm — steady
  18. bass — the fish
  19. row — a line
  20. rule — a law
  21. rash — a series
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rule — government
  24. row — to paddle

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