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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — child
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. board — a committee
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. board — to get on

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