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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spell — letters
  5. fine — all right
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chip — for betting
  8. current — electric
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. current — happening now
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fine — high quality
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. current — of water
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cap — a hat

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