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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. board — to get on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. board — a committee
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chip — for betting
  11. face — to confront
  12. net — after costs
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — a coil
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — in sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. face — part of the head

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