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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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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: bat · board · wound · patient · foot · perch · chip · net

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — for catching
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. board — a committee
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chip — to eat
  16. net — in sport
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chip — for betting
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. net — after costs
  23. board — to get on
  24. bat — the animal

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