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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 120 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. cap — of ice
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a document
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cap — a hat
  18. file — a tool
  19. game — a match
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cap — a lid
  24. club — a group

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