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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. capital — a city
  4. game — a match
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — electric
  7. capital — money
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. current — happening now
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wound — an injury
  14. scale — in music
  15. current — of water
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wound — an injury
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. snap — to click
  24. ruler — for measuring

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