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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. charge — electricity
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cold — not warm
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pop — music
  16. charge — in control
  17. current — electric
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — soda
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. charge — a price
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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