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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. game — a match
  5. race — the arms race
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. track — to keep track
  8. drill — the tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. clip — to cut
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. track — a song
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. game — wild animals
  17. race — a contest
  18. drill — army training
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a path
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. drill — a practice
  24. race — humankind

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