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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. current — happening now
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. file — a document
  8. current — of water
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chair — a leader
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. file — a tool
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. file — a line of people
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. current — electric
  18. kid — child
  19. track — a path
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bear — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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