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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. face — to confront
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. current — of water
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rock — music
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. fork — in a road
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. current — happening now
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rock — a stone
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pit — a hole

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