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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. fine — all right
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — the season
  8. track — a song
  9. fine — high quality
  10. current — happening now
  11. last — finally
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. last — final
  14. track — a path
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. track — to keep track
  17. scale — size or range
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — electric
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. current — of water
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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