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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — help
  5. bass — the fish
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. deal — to handle
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hand — in cards
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bass — low music
  24. board — a committee

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