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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. firm — steady
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — to get on
  6. land — a country
  7. kick — in football
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. land — ground
  15. board — a committee
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. land — to come down
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cold — an illness

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