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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.

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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cap — of ice
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — a video
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mark — a grade
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. prune — to trim
  10. race — humankind
  11. mug — a face
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. game — wild animals
  15. race — a contest
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cap — a hat
  20. game — a match
  21. mug — to rob
  22. clip — for paper
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mark — a trace

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