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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mark — a grade
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mark — a trace
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — of ice
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cold — not warm
  14. race — humankind
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cold — an illness
  20. race — a contest
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. patient — a sick person

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