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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. board — a committee
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. swing — to play on
  7. court — for sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. court — of a king
  10. chip — for betting
  11. court — of law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. swing — music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chest — a box
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. board — to get on
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chest — of your body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — in football

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