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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. current — electric
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. current — of water
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. row — a line
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. current — happening now
  12. land — a country
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — ground
  17. fine — all right
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fine — high quality
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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