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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. race — humankind
  8. last — to go on
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fine — all right
  12. mate — a partner
  13. club — for golf
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. race — a contest
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. mate — a friend
  22. club — a group
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. race — the arms race

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