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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mine — for digging
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. firm — a company
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — after costs
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — for catching
  12. race — a contest
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. net — in sport
  18. fork — in a road
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. firm — decided
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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