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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fork — in a road
  5. net — after costs
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. tear — to rip
  8. board — to get on
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. net — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. net — for catching
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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