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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fine — all right
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. current — happening now
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. file — a line of people
  12. prune — to trim
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitch — completely
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. current — electric
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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