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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. current — electric
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. current — happening now
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hand — in cards
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. current — of water
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hand — part of the body

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