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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. present — there
  5. current — happening now
  6. game — a match
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — of water
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. file — a line of people
  13. present — a gift
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. present — the time now
  22. file — a document
  23. game — wild animals
  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