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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. race — humankind
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. suit — in cards
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. race — a contest
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. race — the arms race
  16. current — happening now
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mate — to breed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. suit — to fit
  24. game — a match

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