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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — electric
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. charge — electricity
  6. current — of water
  7. wind — moving air
  8. current — happening now
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — a price
  11. bound — obliged
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — a coil
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. spring — of water
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bound — tied together
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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