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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. deal — to handle
  6. current — happening now
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. current — electric
  16. land — a country
  17. foot — a measure
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. current — of water
  22. rash — a series
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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