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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rush — hurry
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to click
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. race — humankind
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — certain
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. race — a contest
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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