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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. march — the month
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stand — to bear
  7. race — a contest
  8. march — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tear — from crying
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. race — humankind
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — the month
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. race — the arms race
  24. deal — to handle

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