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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. shower — rain
  7. game — a match
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chair — a leader
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. sharp — exactly

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