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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. season — in sport
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. board — to get on
  5. rash — a series
  6. board — a committee
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. last — final
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bat — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lean — thin
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. last — to go on
  23. season — of the year
  24. last — finally

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