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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mug — a face
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. mate — a partner
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. current — electric
  11. mate — a friend
  12. current — happening now
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — ground
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. roll — a list
  24. mate — to breed

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