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

Word bank: cold · lash · kick · rest · chip · board · mate · patient

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rest — a break
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chip — for betting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — in football
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. board — to get on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. board — a committee
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rest — what's left

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