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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. field — a subject
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rush — hurry
  11. shower — to wash
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cap — of ice
  14. shower — rain
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. field — farmland
  17. current — of water
  18. cap — a lid
  19. sharp — clever
  20. current — electric
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. current — happening now
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. field — for sport

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