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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ball — a great time
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. race — humankind
  6. row — a line
  7. saw — the tool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ball — a dance
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — to paddle
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — farmland
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. field — a subject
  20. mate — to breed
  21. race — a contest
  22. field — for sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mate — a partner

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