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

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. race — a contest
  3. snap — to click
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. file — a line of people
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. file — a tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fine — high quality
  17. file — a document
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. race — humankind
  22. fine — all right
  23. rush — hurry
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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