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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hand — in cards
  6. staff — a stick
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. face — to confront
  9. field — for sport
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. field — a subject
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bass — the fish
  18. hand — help
  19. staff — employees
  20. field — farmland
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — electric
  23. bass — low music
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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