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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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. current — happening now
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. file — a document
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rule — a law
  13. fine — high quality
  14. current — of water
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rule — government
  21. current — electric
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. degree — temperature

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