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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. current — electric
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. current — happening now
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. race — humankind
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. current — of water
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. march — the month
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. march — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  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