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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. suit — in cards
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. suit — clothes
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — a country
  8. race — a contest
  9. suit — to fit
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitch — completely
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. race — humankind
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. scale — in music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. race — the arms race
  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