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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. race — humankind
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. chip — for betting
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. race — a contest
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cell — a phone
  24. race — the arms race

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