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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — a leader
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stock — shares
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — letters
  9. firm — steady
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. firm — decided
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. current — of water
  16. firm — a company
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. current — electric
  24. stock — goods

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