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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. court — for sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. branch — a division
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of law
  12. file — a document
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. current — electric
  15. last — to go on
  16. current — happening now
  17. file — a line of people
  18. last — finally
  19. file — a tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. current — of water
  22. last — final
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. court — of a king

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