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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spell — letters
  3. mine — for digging
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — to breed
  9. current — of water
  10. land — a country
  11. current — electric
  12. mate — a friend
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spell — a short time
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. land — to come down
  19. spell — magic
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. land — ground

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