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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · game · patient · board · land · swing · arm · content

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. board — a committee
  5. content — happy
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. swing — music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — wild animals
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. game — a match
  19. content — the amount
  20. land — ground
  21. board — to get on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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