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

Word bank: straw · lash · patient · current · march · charge · pit · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pit — in a race
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. current — electric
  9. march — music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. charge — in control
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. current — happening now
  14. march — the month
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. charge — a price
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a hole
  19. charge — electricity
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — of water
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cell — in biology
  24. patient — a sick person

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