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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. current — happening now
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. object — an aim
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. can — a tin
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bulb — for light
  11. object — a thing
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wake — a trail
  19. object — to protest
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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