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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. current — happening now
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pit — a hole
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — of water
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pit — in a race
  12. file — a document
  13. can — a tin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — a tin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. current — electric
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. can — to be able to

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