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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pit — a hole
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pit — in a race
  15. current — happening now
  16. net — in sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. current — electric
  20. net — after costs
  21. club — for dancing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. current — of water
  24. club — for golf

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