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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. current — happening now
  3. fine — all right
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — letters
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fine — high quality
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. current — electric
  12. spell — magic
  13. swing — in golf
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. dip — to sink
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. current — of water
  24. fine — a penalty

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