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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. board — to get on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. board — a committee
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — moving air
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fan — a supporter

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