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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.

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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: board · degree · net · patient · saw · fine · squash · coach

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. degree — from a university
  4. squash — to crush
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fine — all right
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. board — to get on
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. saw — the tool
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — in sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. squash — the sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. board — a committee

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