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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. roll — a cake
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bore — to drill
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bore — to tire
  8. race — a contest
  9. board — a committee
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. roll — a list
  17. chest — a box
  18. board — to get on
  19. row — a line
  20. race — humankind
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. race — the arms race

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