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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. drill — army training
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. track — a path
  6. club — for golf
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — for catching
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. club — a group
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. board — to get on
  14. track — a song
  15. board — a committee
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chip — for betting
  18. club — for dancing
  19. drill — a practice
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. patient — a sick person

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