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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ground — the earth
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. board — a committee
  5. court — for sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ground — a position
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — of a king
  18. tube — a container
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — of law
  24. ground — crushed

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