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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. object — to protest
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rush — hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. object — a thing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. current — electric
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stand — to bear
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. object — an aim

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