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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mate — a friend
  3. squash — to crush
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. content — happy
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. race — humankind
  12. mate — a partner
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. current — electric
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — happening now
  22. mate — to breed
  23. current — of water
  24. hide — to keep secret

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