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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chip — to eat
  4. net — for catching
  5. clip — for paper
  6. net — in sport
  7. kick — in football
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. chip — for betting
  10. clip — to cut
  11. board — to get on
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rush — hurry
  17. board — a committee
  18. net — after costs
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. season — in sport
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. clip — a video

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