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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bound — tied together
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — electric
  13. kick — in football
  14. present — a gift
  15. current — of water
  16. drill — a practice
  17. present — there
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — the animal
  20. present — the time now
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. drill — army training

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