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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · current · ruler · content · patient · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. current — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. current — happening now
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. content — the amount
  15. cold — an illness
  16. content — happy
  17. current — electric
  18. kick — a thrill

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