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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fall — the season
  5. pit — a hole
  6. current — happening now
  7. scale — in music
  8. last — to go on
  9. bat — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. pit — in a race
  12. scale — size or range
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — final
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wound — an injury

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