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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — a song
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stand — to bear
  11. track — a path
  12. scale — in music
  13. current — electric
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mate — a partner
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. content — the amount
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. current — happening now
  21. content — happy
  22. scale — size or range
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — a friend

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