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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.

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: charge · land · bat · cue · board · bowl · cold · patient

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — a country
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. board — to get on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. cue — a signal
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cue — for pool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. charge — in control
  20. land — ground
  21. bat — the animal
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bowl — to roll

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