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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — of water
  7. race — the arms race
  8. current — happening now
  9. swing — music
  10. row — to paddle
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — humankind
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. race — a contest
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. current — electric
  24. date — the fruit

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