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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. tube — a container
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. current — electric
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spell — letters
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. spell — magic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. swing — in golf
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fine — a penalty

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