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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. last — finally
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. snap — to click
  7. prune — to trim
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. race — a contest
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. sharp — clever
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. last — to go on
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — final
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bulb — for light

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