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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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ground — crushed
  3. staff — a stick
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — a position
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wake — a trail
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. race — a contest
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ground — the earth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fork — in a road

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