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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cell — in biology
  10. kick — in football
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mate — a partner
  13. current — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mate — a friend
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. current — happening now
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cell — in a prison

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