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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. race — a contest
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pass — a permit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. race — humankind
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. court — for sport
  15. tear — to rip
  16. court — of law
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. key — for a lock
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — of a king
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. tear — from crying

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