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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ground — a position
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chip — for betting
  16. perch — the fish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. current — happening now
  20. fall — the season
  21. current — electric
  22. file — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. current — of water

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