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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. current — happening now
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. current — of water
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a tool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. file — a document
  21. lie — to recline
  22. current — electric
  23. file — a line of people
  24. squash — the vegetable

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