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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — electric
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. current — of water
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. file — a document
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wake — a trail
  14. board — a committee
  15. row — a line
  16. mark — a trace
  17. board — to get on
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. current — happening now
  21. row — to paddle
  22. file — a line of people
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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