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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. charge — electricity
  7. current — happening now
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. charge — a price
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. current — of water
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wind — moving air
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — in cards
  19. current — electric
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. snap — to click
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. charge — in control

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