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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — to wash
  5. plane — a tool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. shower — rain
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. race — a contest
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. press — a publisher
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. press — newspapers
  19. race — the arms race
  20. press — to push
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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