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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. race — humankind
  3. court — of a king
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — electricity
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — ground
  11. race — the arms race
  12. charge — in control
  13. sharp — clever
  14. court — of law
  15. charge — a price
  16. chest — a box
  17. stand — to bear
  18. land — to come down
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. race — a contest
  23. court — for sport
  24. land — a country

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