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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. current — happening now
  3. land — a country
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. net — after costs
  9. bass — the fish
  10. current — electric
  11. file — a document
  12. bass — low music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. net — in sport
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. land — ground
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — to come down
  20. file — a tool
  21. current — of water
  22. mate — a friend
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — the instrument

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