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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: foot · cold · ruler · drill · current · patient · file · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. current — happening now
  11. cold — an illness
  12. current — of water
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. current — electric
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. file — a document
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. foot — a measure

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