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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. race — a contest
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. race — humankind
  9. last — finally
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rash — a series
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. last — final
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. last — to go on
  20. roll — a list
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. key — in music
  24. patient — a sick person

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