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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. game — wild animals
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. staff — a stick
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — the season
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. current — of water
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. branch — a division
  22. staff — employees
  23. fall — to drop
  24. sharp — exactly

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