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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. race — humankind
  5. clip — to cut
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pop — to visit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. row — a line
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. toast — bread
  14. pop — soda
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. row — to paddle
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — a contest
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. clip — a video

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