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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. current — happening now
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. drill — army training
  8. chip — for betting
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — soda
  17. ground — the earth
  18. current — of water
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pop — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ground — a position
  24. chip — to eat

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