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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. march — music
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. rest — a break
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. track — a song
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. march — the month
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. track — to keep track
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spell — magic
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. march — the month

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