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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. club — for golf
  2. race — the arms race
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. club — for dancing
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. race — humankind
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. race — a contest
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. club — a group
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. march — the month
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — a sick person
  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