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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. race — the arms race
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. race — humankind
  11. scale — in music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fall — the season
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chip — for betting
  18. race — a contest
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chip — to eat
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. sharp — clever

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