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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. chip — for betting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — in sport
  5. rash — a series
  6. stem — to come from
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. land — ground
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fine — all right
  13. net — for catching
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. net — after costs
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — electric

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