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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. present — the time now
  3. current — of water
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ball — a great time
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. firm — steady
  12. ball — a dance
  13. present — a gift
  14. mark — a grade
  15. clip — a video
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. firm — decided
  19. clip — to cut
  20. current — electric
  21. clip — for paper
  22. present — there
  23. current — happening now
  24. firm — a company

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