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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: board · spell · bay · fall · patient · court · kid · dip

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. spell — magic
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. dip — to sink
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fall — the season
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — child
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. court — of law
  16. kid — to tease
  17. court — for sport
  18. board — to get on
  19. court — of a king
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. spell — letters
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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