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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — in cards
  3. net — after costs
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. hand — help
  6. net — in sport
  7. current — electric
  8. bass — the fish
  9. current — happening now
  10. last — final
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. clip — to cut
  14. last — to go on
  15. clip — a video
  16. last — finally
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. current — of water
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. net — for catching
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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