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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. snap — to click
  4. track — a path
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — the animal
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spell — magic
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. track — to keep track
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — a song
  24. spell — a short time

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