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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — for digging
  3. net — in sport
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. board — to get on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rest — what's left
  8. board — a committee
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mine — belonging to me

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