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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. present — the time now
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. present — a gift
  10. pit — a hole
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rock — a stone
  23. current — electric
  24. present — there

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