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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: file · bat · patient · saw · bound · lie · pitch · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. lie — to recline
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bound — obliged
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — happening now
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a document
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a tool
  18. bound — certain
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bound — tied together
  22. current — electric
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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