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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — help
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — in cards
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mate — a partner
  13. sharp — clever
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. race — a contest
  21. rest — a break
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. race — humankind
  24. rest — what's left

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