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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. board — a committee
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — obliged
  6. sharp — clever
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ball — a dance
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — certain
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — tied together
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. board — to get on
  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