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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. plane — a tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. race — humankind
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — a contest
  22. dip — to sink
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. scale — in music

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