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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. current — of water
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — a video
  8. wake — a trail
  9. current — electric
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. current — happening now
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chip — to eat
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — for paper
  17. race — humankind
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chair — a leader

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