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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cue — a signal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. cue — a hint
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bound — certain
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — a contest
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bound — tied together
  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