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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. current — of water
  12. bass — low music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. board — to get on
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rock — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. board — a flat piece
  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