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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. toast — bread
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. roll — a list
  9. race — a contest
  10. face — to confront
  11. current — of water
  12. face — to point toward
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — for sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. race — humankind
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — farmland
  23. face — part of the head
  24. race — the arms race

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