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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. march — the month
  4. current — electric
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — tied together
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — obliged
  10. march — music
  11. chip — for betting
  12. march — the month
  13. bound — certain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ruler — for measuring

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