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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. current — happening now
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. patient — a sick person
  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