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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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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: kick · patient · board · bat · chest · coach · firm · rule

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bat — the animal
  9. board — to get on
  10. rule — a law
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — a box
  19. board — a committee
  20. firm — decided
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kick — in football
  23. rule — government
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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