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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fine — all right
  10. row — a line
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. mark — a grade
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cell — a phone
  21. current — of water
  22. rock — a stone
  23. row — to paddle
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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