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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 120 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. track — a song
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. board — a committee
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. last — final
  11. cell — in biology
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. last — finally
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — to go on
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. track — a path
  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