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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kid — to tease
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rock — a stone
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. current — of water
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rock — music
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — child
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. key — in music
  18. drill — a practice
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wound — an injury
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — an injury

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