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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. race — the arms race
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tear — to rip
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chair — a leader
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. race — humankind
  15. cap — of ice
  16. race — a contest
  17. stock — shares
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stock — goods
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. tear — from crying
  24. straw — a straw man

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