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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 water is too ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. cue — for pool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. object — an aim
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cue — a signal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — in sport
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cue — a hint
  17. lean — to bend
  18. object — a thing
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lean — thin
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. net — for catching
  23. object — to protest
  24. net — after costs

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