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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mate — a partner
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. race — the arms race
  7. clip — to cut
  8. key — for a lock
  9. race — a contest
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — a thing
  12. mate — to breed
  13. key — in music
  14. race — humankind
  15. object — an aim
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. clip — for paper
  19. chair — a leader
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. object — to protest
  22. clip — a video
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. key — the most important part

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