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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. 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. deal — an agreement
  2. current — electric
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. current — happening now
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. current — of water
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. 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