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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rest — what's left
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. band — a music group
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. current — of water
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — finally
  13. chair — a leader
  14. current — electric
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — completely
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. current — happening now
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. rest — a break
  24. band — a ring

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