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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. cue — for pool
  10. court — for sport
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — to protest
  16. board — to get on
  17. object — a thing
  18. bore — to tire
  19. file — a document
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. hand — help
  22. object — an aim
  23. cue — a hint
  24. file — a line of people

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