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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. race — a contest
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pop — soda
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — humankind
  23. pop — music
  24. pitch — completely

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