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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mark — a trace
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. race — a contest
  11. firm — steady
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. snap — to click
  19. race — the arms race
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. race — humankind
  22. mark — a grade
  23. firm — a company
  24. wave — with your hand

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