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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. race — humankind
  3. march — the month
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. craft — boats
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. tube — the underground
  9. craft — a skill
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. race — a contest
  20. march — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chair — a leader

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