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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. race — humankind
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cue — for pool
  5. race — a contest
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spell — letters
  9. degree — from a university
  10. scale — in music
  11. cue — a signal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. race — the arms race
  19. spell — magic
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — temperature
  24. spell — a short time

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