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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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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. race — humankind
  8. stock — shares
  9. bat — the animal
  10. present — the time now
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stock — goods
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. race — a contest
  20. present — a gift
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fine — all right
  24. race — the arms race

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