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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. hand — help
  3. stand — to bear
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. current — happening now
  8. degree — temperature
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. degree — from a university
  14. current — of water
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chip — for betting
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. current — electric
  24. degree — an amount

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