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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. craft — boats
  3. land — a country
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a skill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. current — happening now
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — of water
  13. mate — a friend
  14. snap — to click
  15. key — for a lock
  16. current — electric
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — to come down
  20. mate — to breed
  21. land — ground
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. craft — a handicraft

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