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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. press — to push
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fall — to drop
  6. current — electric
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. press — a publisher
  9. capital — a city
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bore — to tire
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. capital — money
  16. file — a line of people
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fall — to drop
  19. current — of water
  20. file — a tool
  21. fall — the season
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a document
  24. current — happening now

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