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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. spell — a short time
  3. suit — clothes
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. row — a line
  6. clip — for paper
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — to cut
  9. suit — in cards
  10. net — after costs
  11. row — to paddle
  12. spell — magic
  13. clip — a video
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bound — certain
  17. current — electric
  18. net — in sport
  19. suit — to fit
  20. current — of water
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spell — letters
  23. bound — obliged
  24. current — happening now

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