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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. content — happy
  4. current — electric
  5. spring — of water
  6. present — the time now
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. present — there
  10. row — a line
  11. current — of water
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. spring — a coil
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — a gift
  17. pit — in a race
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. spring — the season
  22. current — happening now
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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