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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. race — the arms race
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. capital — money
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. spell — letters
  9. capital — a city
  10. ground — the earth
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. object — a thing
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. object — an aim
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ground — a position
  20. tube — a container
  21. object — to protest
  22. spell — magic
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spell — a short time

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