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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. land — a country
  3. mug — a cup
  4. craft — boats
  5. current — electric
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mug — a face
  8. sharp — clever
  9. season — in sport
  10. row — a line
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. land — to come down
  21. current — of water
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. current — happening now
  24. land — ground

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