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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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 — a sick person
  2. ball — a dance
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. spell — magic
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spell — letters
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mate — to breed
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. mate — a friend
  12. swing — to play on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. race — humankind
  16. swing — in golf
  17. deal — to handle
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mate — a partner
  20. swing — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. deal — an agreement
  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