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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · game · pound · ground · board · bay · pitcher · calf

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a match
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. board — a committee
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. game — a kind of play

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