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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. current — of water
  3. firm — decided
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. firm — a company
  6. field — farmland
  7. current — happening now
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pit — a hole
  10. field — a subject
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. current — electric
  13. bore — to tire
  14. deal — to handle
  15. firm — steady
  16. race — the arms race
  17. field — for sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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