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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wind — moving air
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rash — a series
  15. wind — moving air
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. board — to get on
  24. bat — for baseball

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