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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. march — the month
  3. charge — in control
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — music
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — happening now
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. current — of water
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chair — a leader
  17. can — a tin
  18. march — music
  19. can — to be able to
  20. charge — a price
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. current — electric
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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