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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cold — not warm
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. roll — a list
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — for catching
  13. cold — an illness
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. current — electric
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. net — after costs
  24. chip — to eat

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