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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rock — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — to go on
  6. race — a contest
  7. last — finally
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. race — humankind
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fine — high quality
  12. race — the arms race
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fine — all right
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. last — final
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fine — a penalty

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