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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kid — child
  6. spell — letters
  7. race — a contest
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fall — the season
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fork — in a road
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. spell — magic
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. foot — a measure
  20. race — humankind
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rest — a break
  24. patient — a sick person

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