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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. row — a line
  4. race — a contest
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wake — a trail
  12. race — humankind
  13. key — in music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. key — for a lock
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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