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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — for paper
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. race — humankind
  12. mug — to rob
  13. root — of a plant
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kick — in football
  17. clip — a video
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mug — a face
  20. clip — to cut
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — the cause
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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