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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kid — child
  6. current — of water
  7. charge — in control
  8. track — a song
  9. current — electric
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. charge — electricity
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. charge — a price
  21. drill — army training
  22. current — happening now
  23. deal — to handle
  24. kid — to tease

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