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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. charge — a price
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. board — to get on
  10. march — the month
  11. chest — of your body
  12. march — music
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chest — a box
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. charge — in control
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. board — a committee

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