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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. current — electric
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chip — for betting
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pop — soda
  10. mate — a partner
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — to wash
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pop — music
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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