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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. march — music
  4. current — electric
  5. game — a match
  6. fine — all right
  7. cold — an illness
  8. current — of water
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — not warm
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. can — a tin
  16. current — happening now
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fine — high quality
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. march — the month

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