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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. can — a tin
  4. current — of water
  5. can — a tin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — completely
  9. staff — employees
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. land — to come down
  14. current — happening now
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. land — a country
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — ground
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. current — electric

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