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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. present — a gift
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a committee
  6. rash — hasty
  7. board — to get on
  8. present — there
  9. ground — a position
  10. present — the time now
  11. spell — letters
  12. root — of a word
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. root — of a plant
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spell — a short time
  21. root — the cause
  22. spell — magic
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rash — on the skin

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