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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. board — to get on
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chip — to eat
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chip — for betting
  13. net — after costs
  14. pit — a hole
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bore — to tire
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — help
  22. net — in sport
  23. bore — to drill
  24. chip — in a computer

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