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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. current — electric
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. current — happening now
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spell — magic
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — the animal
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. current — of water
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. sharp — exactly

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