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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chip — to eat
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. land — a country
  9. kid — child
  10. vault — a safe
  11. current — of water
  12. toast — bread
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hand — in cards
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. current — electric
  21. land — ground
  22. current — happening now
  23. land — to come down
  24. chip — for betting

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