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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. race — a contest
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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