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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. mate — a friend
  3. race — a contest
  4. current — of water
  5. mate — a partner
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bat — the animal
  8. current — electric
  9. stand — to bear
  10. deal — to handle
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. race — humankind
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. current — happening now
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wake — a trail
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wake — before a funeral

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