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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. scale — in music
  3. current — happening now
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rock — music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. rash — a series
  11. last — to go on
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mug — a face
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mug — to rob
  17. last — final
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — finally
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. current — electric
  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