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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
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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 · safe · rash · patient · saw · row · cold · face

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. board — to get on
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cold — an illness
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — part of the head
  8. row — to paddle
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. board — a committee
  18. rash — hasty
  19. saw — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. row — a line
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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