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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. shower — rain
  9. race — humankind
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — child
  14. shower — to wash
  15. race — a contest
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. game — wild animals
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — to tease
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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