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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. current — happening now
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. land — a country
  12. mark — a grade
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cell — in biology
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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