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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. race — a contest
  3. squash — to crush
  4. clip — to cut
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. race — the arms race
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. key — in music
  11. clip — a video
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. key — the most important part
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. face — to point toward
  19. key — for a lock
  20. race — humankind
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. kick — in football
  24. clip — for paper

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