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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — a partner
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. current — of water
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. court — for sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a friend
  16. current — electric
  17. hand — help
  18. court — of a king
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. scale — in music

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