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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: mate · staff · bowl · pitcher · patient · board · cold · present

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. present — there
  8. board — to get on
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — to breed
  12. staff — a stick
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — a partner
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cold — not warm
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. patient — a sick person

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