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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. current — electric
  3. ground — a position
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. current — of water
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. file — a line of people
  9. present — there
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. capital — money
  12. pitch — completely
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — crushed
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. file — a document
  21. chair — a leader
  22. capital — a city
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitch — a sports field

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