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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — help
  3. march — the month
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cue — for pool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. spell — magic
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spell — letters
  18. march — the month
  19. race — humankind
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — certain
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hand — in cards
  24. march — music

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