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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: rule · board · cold · game · patient · plane · sharp · calf

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. game — a match
  7. cold — an illness
  8. board — to get on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. plane — a tool
  13. board — a committee
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rule — a law
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cold — not warm
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. calf — a young 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