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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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Word bank
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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. race — humankind
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. race — a contest
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lie — to recline
  21. key — in music
  22. march — the month
  23. key — the most important part
  24. march — music

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