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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pit — in a race
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. current — happening now
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. current — of water
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. current — electric
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tear — to rip

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