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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rule — a law
  5. bass — the fish
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — a committee
  8. chest — a box
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — clever
  11. board — to get on
  12. net — for catching
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — after costs
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rule — government
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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