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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. hand — help
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. hand — in cards
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. board — a committee
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. capital — a city
  14. club — for golf
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. club — for dancing
  20. capital — money
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. club — a group
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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