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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. file — a line of people
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tear — from crying
  7. file — a document
  8. current — electric
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pit — a hole
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. stand — to bear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — to rip
  21. current — happening now
  22. file — a tool
  23. current — of water
  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