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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. race — a contest
  8. spell — a short time
  9. race — humankind
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — letters
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. spell — magic
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rush — hurry

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