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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rock — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. charge — electricity
  7. current — electric
  8. charge — in control
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fine — all right
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. file — a line of people
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. current — of water
  16. rash — a series
  17. file — a document
  18. charge — a price
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. file — a tool

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