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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. land — ground
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. current — of water
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — a leader
  15. current — happening now
  16. land — a country
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. land — to come down
  19. face — to point toward
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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