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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. land — to come down
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pop — to visit
  7. club — a group
  8. land — ground
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. dip — to sink
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pop — soda
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pop — music
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. land — a country
  19. race — humankind
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — a video
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. club — for golf
  24. clip — for paper

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