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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. file — a document
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a line of people
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. race — a contest
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — to come down
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. race — the arms race
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. race — humankind
  24. file — a tool

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